The
phrase "British comedy" has always encompassed a wide range
of comedic styles, all of which are mostly defined by being different
from the typical US. sitcom. Weird,
off-beat humor with a streak of self-parody has always been a staple
of British comedy, and in that vein, Benny Hill certainly deserves
the title of "Prime Minister of Comedy." Following
up on the DVD release of three sets of The Naughty Early Years
(1969-1977), Set Four covers The Hill's Angels Years: 1978-1981.
It's in these episodes, working with a new producer, that Benny Hill
brought in the famous women performers who would show off their
scantily clothed bodies in a wide range of comedy skits. But the
center of the show remains the remarkably versatile Benny Hill
himself.

The ten episodes presented here
represent the complete output of the show over the four years of
1978-1981; even with international success in the bag, Hill preferred
to make relatively few shows rather than risk diluting the comedy
material. US viewers are now able to see the episodes in their
original, uncut format, as all of them are presented in their
original 50-minute length rather than the cut-down versions that were
broadcast in the US.

If you're already a Benny Hill
fan, you know what to expect... if you haven't seen the show, or
if it's been many years since you caught an episode, the best word to
describe it is probably "madcap," closely followed by
"oddball," "goofy," and "wacky." The
Benny Hill Show is presented as a variety show, with comic skits
on an assortment of different topics interspersed with mock
interviews, song and dance routines, and monologues. The Benny
Hill cast, including the recurring character actors as well as
the Hill's Angels, take on different roles depending on the skit;
some of the charm of the skits is seeing the actors again and again
as different characters. Hill himself is a virtuoso of this style of
comedy, gleefully playing every type of character imaginable, high or
low class, clever or clueless, and often in drag. Most impressive is
his incredible ability to do different accents, which is used to the
fullest in the show; he's also a dab hand when it comes to singing
his own comic songs.

One of the characteristics of these
episodes is their enthusiastic, over-the-top bawdiness. I don't know
about the state of affairs in Britain, but I'm sure that a show like
this wouldn't have a ghost of a chance of being produced nowadays in
the US. Buxom women abound, often dressed in the skimpiest of bikinis
or appearing in their underwear, and there's a continuing theme of
lechery throughout all the episodes. Benny Hill in particular often
ends up playing a character who's desperately trying to grope and/or
ogle a woman in some state of undress; visual jokes often revolve
around breasts and bottoms being fondled or bumped up against in
inopportune situations. Curiously, though, I don't find any of it to
be offensive in the least - it's over the top and undeniably crude,
but never in a cruel or repellent way. I think that part of Benny
Hill's charm is that the bawdiness comes with a streak of
self-parody. In playing these dirty-minded men, Hill is poking fun at
the very culture that considers it both dirty and desirable to watch
women prance around in their underwear, and he's taking a jab at the
male sex for being so fascinated with, say, breasts. Nor are the
Hill's Angels mere patsies: in fact, most of the skits that involve a
character attempting to go for a grope end up with the misbehaving
man being bopped on the head by a shocked woman.

It's not just in the realm of sex
that Benny Hill dives in without a care in the world; his humor
touches on just about anything, without regard to whether it might
offend someone. Take the "Wheelchair Rally" segment, for
instance, or the "Wondergran" bits; after all, why should
humor restrict itself to topics of the young and able-bodied, when
cantankerous old folks have plenty of comic material to contribute as
well? Religion and national origin are also not spared, offering
material for Hill to have his usual wacky fun with.

I'm not sure exactly what was cut
from the Benny Hill episodes for their broadcast in the US; it
may have been the "naughtier" bits that were cut (although
that would amount to removing most of the episode, most of the
time...). One thing that I can see, though, is that not all of the
skits would translate particularly well (or at all) in cultural
terms. I'm pretty familiar with British culture in general, but I was
left scratching my head on a number of the skits, as they depended on
the viewer being completely in the know about British pop culture and
politics of the time.

On the whole, I found the shorter
segments (often labeled as "Quickies") to be the most
amusing, followed by the "story" skits, which cover a wide
variety of topics with a common style: the story is heavy on the
physical comedy, the action is slightly sped up, and there are sound
effects but usually no dialogue (or the dialogue is a fast-forwarded
gabble). The episodes also contain "Benny's Ballads" on a
regular basis, which are generally well done but run a bit long for
my taste.

Benny Hill may not be to
everyone's taste, but it's certainly distinctive and quite funny in
its own peculiar way - especially when taken in small doses. (Fifty
minutes at a time can feel a bit overwhelming, and I certainly
recommend spacing out your viewing of the episodes for maximum
enjoyment.) Fans of the show will be very pleased to see these ten
additional episodes to their collection.

The DVD

Benny Hill: The Hill's Angels
Years is a three-DVD set, with each disc in its own ultra-thin
plastic case, with the three inside a glossy paperboard slipcover.

Video

The image quality is reasonable for
a British television show from 1978-81; it's far from perfect, but
it's certainly watchable. The indoor shots are generally clear and
clean, with natural-looking colors. Outdoor material is in worse
shape, with many scratches and flaws, and a generally more soft and
worn appearance. Overall, though, it's perfectly watchable.

Disc 3 contains the only bonus
material on this set. We get a 16-minute featurette called "I
Was a Hill's Angel"; featuring present-day interviews with a
number of the Hill's Angels, it offers an interesting retrospective
on the show and should be particularly enjoyable for fans of the
show. There's also a Benny Hill trivia quiz. A package insert
also provides some text information on this section of the Benny
Hills Show.

Final Thoughts

Benny Hill is quite...
different... than the comedy that most viewers in the US are used to.
Bawdy, lewd, yet at the same time curiously innocent in its overall
tone, The Benny Hill Show offers a smorgasbord of comic skits,
songs, dances, and monologues. The Hill's Angels set includes
all ten episodes from 1978-1981 in their original, uncut format (50
minutes). While it's certainly a show that needs to be taken in small
doses, overall I'd say that it merits a "recommended"
rating.